Wanda Day was a talented and passionate drummer who played for the rock band Four Non Blondes in the early 1990s. She was also a member of the punk band 004 and a friend of many musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, her life was cut short by a drug overdose in 1997, leaving behind a legacy of music and a mystery of what happened to her.
Early Life and Career
Wanda Day was born on November 10, 1960, in Victorville, California, to Grant A. and Carla Anne Griffin Day. She grew up in a musical family and learned to play drums at a young age. She moved to San Francisco in the 1980s and joined the punk band 004, which was formed by Teri Mitchell, Scott Simons, Phil Miller, and Elaine Bryant.
In 1989, she met Linda Perry, the lead singer and songwriter of Four Non Blondes, at a club called Paradise Lounge. Perry invited Day to join her band, which also included Christa Hillhouse on bass and Shaunna Hall on guitar. The band soon gained popularity in the local scene and signed a record deal with Interscope Records in 1991.
Success and Struggle
Four Non Blondes released their debut album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, in 1992. The album featured the hit single “What’s Up?”, which reached number one in several countries and sold over six million copies worldwide. The band toured extensively and performed at various festivals and events, such as the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Celebration in 1993.
However, Day was not happy with the direction of the band and felt that Perry was dominating the creative process. She also struggled with drug addiction and depression, which affected her performance and relationship with her bandmates. She left Four Non Blondes in 1993 and was replaced by Dawn Richardson.
Day returned to 004 and continued to play drums for other bands and projects, such as Miss Understood, The Hail Marys, and The Rhythm Pigs. She also tried to overcome her drug problem and enrolled in a rehabilitation program.
Death and Legacy
On July 10, 1997, Day died of a drug overdose at a hotel room in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to Doug Edwards, a former member of 004, she had left the rehab center with a church bishop’s wife and checked into the hotel to get high. The woman panicked and left Day alone, who succumbed to the overdose. She was 36 years old.
Day’s death shocked and saddened her friends and fans, who remembered her as a talented drummer and a kind person. Her funeral was attended by many musicians from the Bay Area, who paid tribute to her with songs and stories. Her ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
Day’s music lives on through her recordings with Four Non Blondes, 004, and other bands. She is also honored by the Wanda Day Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to female drummers who want to pursue music education.
